Stormy Weather
"Stormy Weather" is the thirteenth chapter of The Last Son, Book Two: Reckonings. Storm is tormented by Hungan, an evil African shaman who wants to steal her power. Fortunately, an old acquaintance of Storm helps Superman and the X-Men in saving her. Plot That night at the Xavier Institute, Ororo dreams a nightmare where she is running in a jungle being chased by phantom-like beings. She immediately wakes up and suddenly coming face-to-face with the image of a skull. Ororo screamed at the sight, but then realize she is in the Danger Room, where the students and Logan are already preparing for training, causing an awkward moment. She points at where she saw the image, but it wasn't there. Everyone suggest that what Ororo saw was a bad dream, which Ororo uneasily concludes to be so. As everyone joins in the Danger Room, Clark is ready to test a new nano-suit that is calibrated to protect him from exposure to Kryptonite. The training proves that his suit is successful to be put into combat, and ensuring that any future confrontation with Magneto or Doctor Doom trying to use Kryptonite will be prove nil. After Clark's training, Logan have Spyke to be next. However, Spyke request to have his session reschedule in the afternoon due to going to school early. Clark also excuse himself for his session for his paperwork at the Daily Bugle. Just as Clark leave the Institute, he caught sight of something in a brush on Institute grounds. He tries to identify what it was, but only finding it suddenly gone. Warily, Clark leaves. At Bayville High, Evan have been trying to catch up on his academic work thanks to his talk with Clark. At lunch, Alison Blaire shows a newspaper to the Institute students that had caught a photograph of her and Kal during the winter holidays in New York, which the tabloids speculate to be the pop-star's new romantic relationship. The Institute students, as well as Amanda Sefton and Anita LeRoux, share their own opinions on Alison's rather embarrassing predicament. Evan remain rather quiet on the discussion from his stress on his school work. That afternoon, Evan return to the Institute and resume his training session with Storm, which involve in protecting his aunt. The session, however, result in failure for Evan after Storm is caught in a claustrophobic trap. Shaken, Storm berate her nephew for paying less attention before leaving. Ororo decides to take a walk outside the mansion to keep her mind clear. As night sets in, Ororo is about to head back inside but stops to hear something rustled in the brush. Demanding to know who is there, Ororo is surprised to find the intruder to be her old friend, Nirambo, an operative of King T'Challa of Wakanda. Nirambo inform Ororo that he came to warn her that her old nemesis, the Hungan - a shaman of Storm's tribe and fought for control over before being soundly defeated by Storm - is coming after her. But this time the Hungan is not alone and is being aided by an unknown organization. As Ororo question as to the identity of her enemy's allies, she is struck by a dart and falls unconscious to the dart's chemicals. After rescuing an oil tanker in distress, Superman returns to the Institute to detect Nirambo trying to fight off Ororo's assailants. He quickly subdue the attackers with his gale-breath. Nirambo is in awed of seeing Superman and quickly explains to him of Ororo's capture by the Hungan. After the X-Men and Wolverine came to the disturbance and Nirambo also explains the situation to them, Superman's keen senses detects another intruder. The intruder reveals himself to everyone - T'Challa, or known as the Black Panther. Nirambo immediately kneel before his king and apologize for failing to save Storm, but the Panther takes the blame for himself and didn't anticipate for the Hungan to having any allies. For now the X-Men, Superman and the Black Panther teams up in finding Storm. Superman helps in locating the missing instructor to an old construction site. At the construction site, Storm is buried alive and the Hungan and his followers prepares a ritual to take control of the mutant. The ritual is also overseen by the talkative mercenary, Deadpool, who is hired by the Hungan's allies, whom the Hungan also made a deal with them in having Storm under their thrall. Superman, the X-Men, and the Black Panther arrives a distant away from the ritual. Seeing Deadpool among the Hungan's followers, the Black Panther conclud the shaman is working with someone else. The group makes a quick assault on the Hungan's followers while Superman dealt with those who are armed with guns. The Black Panther and Spyke makes through to where Storm is buried and prying open the steel covering that is sealing her. Deadpool attempts to stop them, but Superman intervenes. Deadpool soon realizes that all his weapons wouldn't penetrate Superman and instead tries to harm his teammates. Fortunately, Superman catches all the bullets that Deadpool fired and defeats him by blowing him away. The Hungan attempts to flee, but Superman and Spyke stops him and allowing a freed Storm in showing her wrath to the Hungan. After subduing the shaman, the Black Panther interrogates him on the identities of his benefactors. The Hungan states that he cannot, but suddenly he is reduced to panic and begins pleading to an unknown, telepathic assailant from being punished. Despite his pleadings, the Hungan is turned into a catatonic state - someone did not want him to talk. With their leads on whoever helped the Hungan is nil, the heroes takes Storm back to the Institute. As Ororo recuperate at the infirmary that is overseen by T'Challa, Evan arrive to see her and becoming acquainted with the Wakandan king, and as well learning about his relationship with his aunt and hearing words of encouragement from the king. Ororo soon awakes and pleased to see T'Challa. Before Evan leaves the couple alone, T'Challa - with permission from Ororo - presents Evan a knife as a honored gift. The old lovers describe of their lives apart, in which there is opening chance that they would be marry in the future. After finishing reacquainting with Ororo, T'Challa properly meets Superman and gives his thanks to the Man of Steel for having previously preventing a forest fire and saving a part of the Wakandan rain forest that contains precious plant life that could be refine into medicines and importantly a part of the ancestral grounds of the Panther Clan. In a way T'Challa is owe a debt of honor to Superman. Superman accepts by helping him concerning of an unusual energy signature that he detected when he was in Wakanda. T'Challa recognize what he speaks of and offer to take him there. Superman travel with T'Challa on his private aircraft while he tells the king about his Kryptonian origins during the trip, much to T'Challa's interest. Upon arriving in Wakanda, Superman and T'Challa came to a temple that is dedicated to the Panther God Bass where the energy signature is located. Within the temple are hieroglyphics in which Superman analyzed that tells the event of a falling object, described it as a "flying star." T'Challa understand the meaning behind the writings when he saw "it." He then escort Superman to an altar, where sits a highly technological device. T'Challa explains that his people had been studying the device and believes it to be part of an alien spacecraft that crashed landed five-hundred years ago. Superman concurs as he already identify it as part of a Kryptonian spacecraft - the device is actually a Ion-Pulse Cannon that is a part of a Swift Justice-Class Speeder and which is surprisingly capable of having the firepower of a 100-kiloton nuclear weapon. Superman is glad that the weapon isn't activated and more so to know that his people had visited Earth before. T'Challa then decide to give the weapon to Superman from falling into the wrong hands, especially from exacerbating his country that is still under considerable pressure from foreign countries for access to its vibranium deposit. Superman bids T'Challa farewell and flies off with the cannon to be safely store in the Fortress of Solitude. Superman returns to the Institute and reveals to Alison about his discovery. He hypothesize that the Speeder in question may had visit Earth on a scouting mission during the time of Krypton's intergalactic exploration through its World-Gate network prior to its isolation after encountering the Skrull and Kree empires - as both races warred the Kryptonians for their technology to overpower one another during their war - in which it is believed that the Speeder encountered and engaged the aforementioned warring alien races as the Solar System was a frequent battlefield between the Skrulls and Kree, and subsequently crash landing to Earth. It is also another reason for Superman to maintain a low profile given that the Skrulls and Kree are still at war and believed that the Kryptonian race is extinct, and have occasionally sent probes to the Solar System. At an undisclosed location, the Hungan's former ally, Mesmero, reports the failed capture of Storm to Ozymandias, although managing in silencing the shaman from revealing their existence. Ozymandias finds this troubling as if they cannot obtain mutants, then they cannot revive their master, Apocalypse. Mesmero ensure that he will seek the three keys to releasing their master, but is also troubled in learning of Superman's existence that could be problematic in the future as foretold in Irene Adler's prophecy. Ozymandias is coldly indifferent to what Adler's prophecy foresaw that could even implied in the defeat of his master. The next day, Evan rejoice to earn a perfect results from his exam. As he and his friends head to class, Evan pause a moment to hear Superman's iconic sonic boom and silently thanks his friend. Quotes Alison: I just hope he doesn't see this. The last thing he needs is more people asking about him. Even worse, they'll probably think we're having some...horrible, illicit affair! Tabitha: Are you? Alison: TABITHA! Tabitha: What? It's a fair question! Alison: No, Tabitha. We haven't done that, yet. Tabitha: Well, why not? Ali, you've landed the most eligible bachelor on the planet! You'd have to be crazy not to! ---- Deadpool: Well, looky here! His Royal Highness, the King of Wakanda himself! Don't I feel special! Black Panther: Stand aside, Wilson. I am in no mood for games. Deadpool: No? How 'bout a magic trick? (draws an automatic) How to make a Panther disappear! ---- Deadpool: So, you do exist! First I get this sweet deal, and then I get to take out the guy on top of the Kingpin's hit-list! This has to be my lucky day! ---- T'Challa: If my father was upset when I made a mistake, it was not because I made it, but because I did not learn from it; our mistakes teach us, Evan. If you have learned from yours...then your Aunt will not be angry. ---- T'Challa: Draw it not to take life, but to save the lives of those you love. ---- T'Challa: But there is a delightful saying in America for this sort of thing: "It's like riding a bicycle: once you learn...you never forget." Continuity *First appearances of Black Panther, Hungan, Deadpool, Mesmero, and Ozymandias. Background information *This story is an adaption of the X-Men: Evolution episode "African Storm". Category:Last Son, Book Two chapters